1995 Volume 27 Issue 2 Pages 1-7
The purpose of this study was to clarify the characteristics of kendo matches by junior high school players. The Kanto Junior High School Kendo Championships were recorded with a video camera to depict locomotion traces of players using the DLT method. Intervals between two competitors (ma-ai)during a match were also calculated with their locomotory floor patterns to see how these intervals changed. This was because an adequate interval is one of the essential conditions for expertise in kendo.
The results of this study are summarized as follow.
1) The travel distance of a junior high school player during a match was longer than that of a senior skilled player. A female player tended to travel farther than a male player.
2) The velocity of a player varied second by second. The occurrence percentage of a velocity of 1 m/sec or less was 53.6% for males and 59.1% for females. Therefore, quite a long part of a matchby young playerswas occupied by high-velocity movement.
3) Competing players positioned at the central part of the court for relatively long periods. This tendency was more conspicuous for males (73.8%) than for females (65.3%).
4) The occurrence percentage of short ma-ai (2.5 m or less) and intermediate ma-ai (2.5-3.5 m) during a match were 65.0% and 19.7% respectively, for males and 58.6% and 27.2% respectively, for females. The above-mentioned results suggest that physical-fitness factors are more dominant than technical factors for young players, whereas technical suggest factors are more influential for skilled players.
